Fire-escape.



No.87'7,363: PATENTED JAN.21, 1908.

- I. NIELSEN.

FIRE ESCAPE. APPLICATION FILED APR.1, l907.

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W/TNESSES I INVENTOH M M -Jrm-W2z/rm BY ATT'OHNEY 1m: NORRIS PETERS c0.wAsnnyamN. :1 cv

No. 877,363. PATENTED JAN. 21, 1908. I. NIELSEN.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION ITILED APILL 1907. v

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WITNESSES INVENTOH r% az fl m 1% Q I fig ATTORNEY THE mamas PETERS 50-,wAsmunwN, D. c

IVER NIELSEN, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

FIRE -ESCAPE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1908.

Application filed April 1, 1907. Serial No. 365-879.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, IVER NIELSEN, a subject of the King of Norway, and aresident of New Rochelle, county of Westchester, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of whichthe following is a specification.

The present invention pertains to fire escapes, and particularly tosuch, comprising ladders connecting the different floors of a buildingand the object of this invention is to provide for folding ladders thatwill unfold or stretch upon lifting a fiap door arranged in the fireescape platform to normally close the exit opening of the latter leadingto the ladder.

In order to make my invention more clear, the same is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which similar reference letters denotecorresponding parts and in which Figure 1 is a side view of the unfoldedor stretched ladder; Fig. 2 is a side view thereof partly folded; Fig. 3a top plan view thereof; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are similar views as Figs. 1,2 and 3 respectively, showing a modified form of construction, and Figs.7, 8 and 9 are details of construction.

IVith reference to the drawing, and particularly to Figs. 1-3, adesignates the platform of the fire escape, which, as usual, has anopening I) for ones escape to the ladder. Hinged to said platform is aflap door 0 that normally is adapted to close the opening 1), andadjacent to the side edges of the latter are guide bars (1 riveted tothe bottom surface of the platform a, which guide bars are provided withlon itudinal grooves or slits c. J ournaled in t e guide bars at therear ends of the slits, is a folding ladder f composed of the side links9, g, 9 arranged at both sides of the opening b and transversal rods iby means of which the links on one side are united with those on theopposite side. These rods serve at the same time as the ste s of theladder. Pivoted in the cen ter of t e members 9 are auxiliary members gat both sides of the opening 12 forming lazy tongs and which are hingedto each other and of which the upper members are provided with laterallyprojecting pins or pivots Z" engaging the longitudinal grooves or slitse and to the flap door 0 at 9'.

Normally the flap door is turned down to close the opening I), owing towhich the folding ladder is folded as illustrated in Fig. 2. 'By turningthe door upwards, the arms j, j and members 9 will cause the ladder tostretch into the position illustrated in Fig. 1. 1

In Figs. 4 to '9, a modification is shown with which, in addition to thefolding ladder, that'is constructed on the same principle as the oneshown in Figs. 1 -3, there is a railing for the safe descent of theperson using the ladder, and the steps are formed of plates q secured tothe rods 1' of the ladder. The railing is composed of forwardlyextending members a rigidly secured to the plates q. These members a areconnected by links 0 pivoted at q to each other and to the said membersat. The upper link is pivoted with a projection m engaging a slot Zarranged in the side bar (1 parallel to the slit 6. The operation of theladder of this modification is the same as in the one already described.

The flap door of course, may be omitted, and instead a lever or handlemay be hinged to the platform, that can be connected with the foldingladder, so as to operate the ladder in a similar way as the flap doordoes.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a fire escape, the combination with a platform, of a fiap doorhinged to said plat-' form and adapted to close the exit openingtherein, a folding ladder pivotally suspended from said platform, guideways secured to the bottom surface of the platform, auxiliary linkshinged to each other and pivoted to those of the folding ladder to formlazy tongs, the upper auxiliary links being guided in the said guideways and connected with the flap door so as to stretch and fold theladder by the opening and closing of the fiap door, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

2. In a fire escape, the combination with a platform, of a fiap doorhinged to the latter and adapted to normally close the exit openingtherein, of a folding ladder pivotally suspended from the said platform,guide bars arranged adapted to slide therein when the ladder is 2 at thelower surface of the platform and havfolded and unfolded. Connected withsaid I ing guide ways, auxiliary links hinged to upper members 9 arearms j that are pivoted I each other and connected With the saidfoldwith the ladder, substantially as and for the ing ladder to formlazy tongs, the upper purpose specified. 10 auxiliary links being guidedin the said guide Signed at New York this 28 day of March, We s, andconnected with the flap door, a 1907.

rai ing composed of individual members at- IVER NIELSEN.

' tached to the steps of the ladder and linked Witnesses:

to each other, the said railing being also JOSEPH E. CAVANAUGH, Yadapted to stretch and fold simultaneously MAX D. ORDMANN.

